Arosbaya Stone Gardens

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Arosbaya Stone Garden

Bad Stereotyping

Madura Island has long forgotten by travelers. They thought that it has no interesting place worthy of visit. It is just a dry and hot island with no tourism potential, says others. A long history of  Madurese bad stereotyping has just made it worst. Some people are thinking that all Madurese are savage people with no honor. Well, this is wrong. I have met many Madurese whom living on the Island, I found them very friendly and eager to help.  

The Suramadu Bridge has made easy traveling to Madura Island these days. Since its opening in 2009, Suramadu opened the possibility of Island developing both the society and their economic condition. We can take either public transport or private vehicle for exploring the Island. If Sumenep is too far to explore, you can start exploring Bangkalan, the nearest regency to Surabaya City. One destination you should not miss, The Arosbaya Stone Gardens.

The Stone Garden 1

Arosbaya Stone Garden is the a proper name given to an old limestone hills mining located in Arosbaya District, Bangkalan Regency, Madura. Only two hours ride from Surabaya. Follow the direction to Arosbaya when you reach Bangkalan, once you see the first traffic light on the north road, make a right turn. Continue your drive until you find the famous Aermata Mausoleum, on the right corner near the Mausoleum you will find small road going right. Follow the road, it will lead you directly to the first Arosbaya Stone Garden or we use to call it Bukit Kapur 1 Arosbaya. Indeed, we can find another one just 500 meters back on different path.

Entering the Stone Garden Area is like coming to a different world. Everything looks yellow and light brown with green topping, it is how it looks when the sun light hit the area. It was initially a limestone hill, until the surrounding people start to dig an exploit the hills to take the white stone for the building material. As the result, they created magnificent shape from the remaining hills. Pillars and tunnels or even caves in some part of the Stone Garden can be found. As it was long abandoned, the nature started to reclaim the area. Plants grow on whatever places it can grow, adding the beauty of the Stone Garden. As if the nature created it.

Some point, remind us of the inner side of the Giza Pyramid in Egypt. As if we are exploring the Pyramid itself. When no other visitors around, for sure you'll feel the creep out of the place. Its silence, dark tunnels, and the vines makes you feel like you are in the movie "The Ruins", or maybe Indiana Jones all over again. Just make sure you're not exploring alone, you might get lost and never comeback. Well, I don't think so.

Artificial Pond

The Gate

Tunnels at Stone Garden 1

Inner Pathway

Stone Garden 2

Going to the second Stone Garden is even more creepy. But, it is the feeling that will make you want to come again. The old abandoned limestone mine creates huge cave, like the big cathedral. It is so big that it has its own hall with around ten meters high or more ceiling. Decorated with huge pillars in some points.

Some part of this man-made cave is filled by water. It adds the creepy sensation while you are in the cave. One good thing is that the heavenly light coming from the ceiling hole right in the middle of the cathedral. As you go deeper in the cave, the surrounding will get darker. Some places are really dark, you can never find what is there without light on your hand. A more area filled with water are found. Though it looks shallow, I'm sure that you don't wanna go into the water.

I found a very nice spot deep in the cave. Where the light could come in, on a big rocks with green bushes on it. Underneath the rocks is a shallow water. I thought I found a piece of paradise here. This is the most beautiful scene I have ever encountered in the cave. Though the surrounding is creepier than the horror movies.

On the corner of this piece of paradise, we can find a path that connects to the other big hall. Some part is an open area with sun light. The rest is a huge circular cave, only this time everything is clear to see. The vines on the walls and some other plants that grow randomly, have constructed an artificial Eden. A breathtaking view that make me forget the creep earlier.

Arosbaya Stone Garden 1 and 2 or they call it Bukit Kapur 1 dan 2, are a must visit destinations when you explore Madura Island. Do not forget to stop by at the Bebek Sinjay for the delicious fried duck with Sambal dipping on your way home. It will make your visit even more memorable.

Pond nearby entrance

The Piece of Paradise

The Grand hall

Eden at Stone Garden 2

Eden at Stone Garden 2

Second Hall

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There's more than meet the eyes in Madura

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Madura Island

Madura Maduratna

Madura, an Island on the north of eastern Java that connected to Surabaya City by the Suramadu Bridge. The Suramadu Bridge is considered as the longest bridge ever built in Indonesia, it's stretched for about 5.4 km long with two huge pillars at the center of the bridge crossing the Madura Strait. Madura is 5.168 km2 wide that stretched 180 km long from the west to the east and around 40 km width from the north to south.

If I am talking about Madura, it reminds me of a lot of thing. Mostly negative though, but this is only stereotype given to the Madurese people. They say that the Madurese people are bad people. Wherever we find Madurese, trouble will come. It is true that Madurese have commonly high tempered, that they like to cheat other people in many things, but this is not always the case. I went to Madura Island for several time. I only found good people. This make me think that maybe only those who live outside Madura are the one that make the bad stereotype.

Most of the land are dry land, it is a flat land with only few hills exist. During dry season, we rarely see green lush from the trees. Everything got dried, the land itself is not a fertile land. If tourists heard about the Island of Madura, they will surely not interested to visit the Island. They think that there is nothing good or interesting places to see in Madura. But they were wrong, There are actually more to see in Madura.

Kangean Islands

One thing that they did not know is that, Madura territory comprises not only one Island, it has more than 150 Islands which most of them are on the east side of Sumenep Regency. Say the Sapudi Island, Raas Island, and more to the east we can find Kangean Islands. Gili Labak is a newly well known island for the local travelers. It is a small Island two hours away from the Kalianget seaport in Sumenep. The Island has crystal clear water with white sand on the beach. It's a new paradise for the local travelers.

Gili Labak

 On the mainland they have the Toroan Waterfall, a unique waterfall where the water falls directly to the Java Sea. It's a mixture between a waterfall landscape and coastal landscape. At here we can also take a nice picture of ourselves with the Java Sea as background. Toroan Waterfall is on the north coast of Sampang Regency.

Toroan Waterfall

Sumenep Regency has long historical story dated back to the 14th century AD during Singasari Kingdom to The Great Majapahit Empire. It was one of special territory within the kindoms where the leader of the region was called Adipati, or Governor at present time. The most famous one was Adipati Arya Wiraraja, one that helped Raden Wijaya to establish the Kingdom of Majapahit. Once the Majapahit Empire collapsed, it became an independence small kingdom/state lead by the descendant of the Adipati. Here we can find historical remains such the Masjid Agung Sumenep or the Grand Mosque of Sumenep and the tombs of the kings. Sumenep also have the famous beach named Slopeng Beach that grows Beach She-Oak all over the place.

Bukit Kapur 2

On the west side of the Mainland, Bangkalan Regency, we can find two limestone hills namely Bukit Kapur and Bukit Jeddih. The first one is the left over limestone mine which created a magnificent structure of limestone caves. The second one is the limestone mine on the go, though the people is still mining the limestone bricks, the others make it as tourist destination. It even have blue colored lake, which was dug by the miners to get the limestone bricks.

Bukit Kapur 1

Not to mention the Mandangin Island on the south of Sampang Regency. Though the Island is already crowded by the people who lives on the north side, it still have pristine Tosca beach on the south with an Island extension called Batu Candi, that make it perfect to hunt Sunset. I went here twice though, and more visits to come.

So, there it is, more or less, that I can tell you about the beauty of Madura Island. I promised myself to discover more about the Island on the next trip, and tell you more about it in future. I hope this will inspire you to do the same exploration I did before, even more. 

Mandangin Island

      

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